Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Story Rich / Pixel Graphics
Story Rich + Pixel Graphics: a typical launch earns $1,849 in its first year
That is the median of 182 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 33 of 338 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 25.2 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 3% on the year before: 221 against 215.
- Price
- $1,849 median of 182 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −15.5% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 221 215 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 914 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 2,149 carrying both tags
Boards
as of 30 Sep 2026Where this pair stands on each board of the front page. Every value carries its 90% interval and its sample.
| Board | Value | Interval | Sample | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most anticipatedShare of all upcoming wishlist heat on Steam, with the number of upcoming games beside it. | 2.31%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 1.23% to 3.80% | 137 ranked of 914 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #95 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.28xhits against expected | 1.00x to 1.63x | 338 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,438 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +25%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | 0% to +50% | 152 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #623 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | −6%review growth against same-age games | −12% to 0% | 152 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #1,089 of 2,461pairs on this board |
Pairs are noisier than genres: the demand boards at pair level are indicative only.
Launch success
launches 6 to 30 months oldMatured indie paid launches that earned an estimated $100k or more, against the number expected for games at the same price tier and launch quarter.
- Launches
- 338
- Hit rate
- 9.8%6.0% to 15.1%
- Expected rate
- 7.5%
- Against expected
- 1.28x1.00x to 1.63x
Launch window: indie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old). Hit odds are shrunk toward the Steam-wide rate by 3 expected hits.
Revenue spread
338 launchesEstimated lifetime gross of the same matured launches. Half earned less than the median; one in ten earned more than the top figure.
- Bottom tenth
- $60
- Median
- $1,811
- Top tenth
- $98,759
Estimated from Steam review counts. Lifetime to date, so it differs from the first-year price above.
Supply
raw release countsGames released with both tags, last 12 months against the 12 before.
- Change
- +3%
- Against Steam
- −25%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Story RichNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- Pixel GraphicsNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
Comparable games
8 indie titlesThe biggest indie games in this pair by estimated lifetime gross. Revenue is shown as a number at 50 or more reviews, as a range at 10 to 49, and not at all below 10.
DELTARUNE (opens the Steam store)2025 · 126,392 reviews, 98% positiveest. $63M
Until Then (opens the Steam store)2024 · 15,814 reviews, 96% positiveest. $6.2M
Back to the Dawn (opens the Steam store)2023 · 8,575 reviews, 94% positiveest. $2.8M
Urban Myth Dissolution Center (opens the Steam store)2025 · 5,989 reviews, 88% positiveest. $1.9M
The Drifter (opens the Steam store)2025 · 4,763 reviews, 97% positiveest. $1.9M
Enigma of Fear (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,095 reviews, 95% positiveest. $1.9M
TEVI (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,587 reviews, 88% positiveest. $1.7M
No Case Should Remain Unsolved (opens the Steam store)2024 · 10,382 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.3M
More with Story Rich
pairs with Story Rich- Story Rich + Narrative$13,10440 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Historical$9,68533 launches priced, 53 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Investigation$8,90370 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based Strategy + Story Rich$8,09741 launches priced, 43 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Supernatural$5,82533 launches priced, 45 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Dating Sim$5,71476 launches priced, 97 releases in 12 months
More with Pixel Graphics
pairs with Pixel Graphics- Pixel Graphics + Tactical RPG$3,27132 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Metroidvania + Pixel Graphics$2,73164 launches priced, 75 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Turn-Based Combat$2,18391 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Collectathon$1,85847 launches priced, 78 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Female Protagonist$1,69299 launches priced, 140 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Deckbuilding$1,66748 launches priced, 106 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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